Senator Fetterman Has Said He Has Concerns About Harris Picking PA. Governor Shapiro As Running Mate

Monday, August 5, 2024, 6:45 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Jennifer Hodges: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- In a recent report from Politico, Democratic Senator John Fetterman has recently warned against Vice President Kamala Harris picking Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her Vice Presidential running mate in the 2024 Presidential General Election.

     Fetterman’s aides have reached out to the Harris campaign to express his concerns, including that Gov. Shapiro is too focused on his own personal ambitions, according to what three people have Politico who are familiar with the issue have.

     Sen. Fetterman and Gov. Shapiro first clashed when they served together on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons. They continued to disagree on second chances and commutations for convicted felons in Pennsylvania. 

     Shapiro is one of the leading candidates for Harris’ running mate following President Biden’s announcement that he would be dropping out of his bid for the 2024 presidential run. He is throwing his support behind Vice President Harris to run against former President Trump.

     Shapiro’s staff members have said that Governor Shapiro’s stance on criminal justice reform has remained clear.

     Will Simons, a spokesperson for Shapiro, told Politico, “The governor evaluates every pardon case individually and on its merits, and during his time as Attorney General, he approved more pardons and commutations than all of his predecessors over the last 25 years combined. He is proud of his record of delivering meaningful criminal justice reform while making Pennsylvania’s communities safer.”

     Fetterman has thrown his full support behind Harris’ run for President. Shapiro has also come under fire for defending his stance on Israel.

     In a 1993 article uncovered by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Shapiro wrote for the Campus Times, a student newspaper for the University of Rochester, he stated that the “Palestinians will not coexist peacefully because they do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States.

     Further, Shapiro has been tied to a sexual harassment settlement when last September, the State of Pennsylvania agreed to pay $295,000 to settle a complaint against Michael A. Vereb, then Shapiro’s head of legislative affairs and a close advisor to Shapiro. An employee accused Vereb of making repeated and graphic sexual comments and then criticizing her job performance after she refused his sexual advances.

     The woman resigned rather than continuing to work for Vereb because it was her only option, as she stated in her written complaint. Vereb was allowed to stay on the job for six months after his accuser first came forward. He only resigned after local reporters obtained a copy of the employee’s complaint, weeks after the settlement was reached.

     With Vice President Kamala expected to announce her Vice Presidential pick for her running mate, we will have to see if the recent concerns about Shapiro will play a part in Harris’ decision.